As is known, mobile vacuum equipment is used for industrial, commercial, and environmental applications for collecting, transporting, and unloading various flowable materials, including sludge, slurries, mud, gravel, and solid and liquid waste. Trucks, such as vacuum trucks, are often used to carry such mobile vacuum equipment. One example of a conventional vacuum truck is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile vacuum truck 10 includes a cylindrical tank 12 that has a hinged connection 14 to the chassis 16 of truck 10 at a rear end of truck 10. As shown, tank 12 has a closed end, or head, 18, and an open end 20. A hatch or door 22 is operative to open and close to releasably seal open end 20.
Tank 12 is in fluid communication with a vacuum and filtration system 24. Vacuum system 24 typically comprises a vacuum pump, such as a hydraulically-driven air or liquid-cooled vane pump, a positive displacement blower, or a liquid ring vacuum pump with air filtration equipment, as is well known. During operation of vacuum system 24, material is drawn into tank 12. As shown in FIG. 1, when tank 12 is to be emptied, a hydraulic cylinder 26 proximate head 18 of tank 12 can be actuated to hoist or tilt tank 12 upward about the hinged connection 14 while the door 22 is opened. Thus, the collected material in tank 12 can be discharged therefrom.
In conventional mobile vacuum equipment, as is the case with truck 10 of FIG. 1, the tank 12 is secured to chassis 16 only via the hinged connection 14. Head 18 of tank 12 merely rests on chassis 16, and head 18 is maintained in place either by the weight of tank 12 or via hydraulic cylinder 26.